Sessions

Présentation

The sale of Music, Continental Books & Manuscripts made £1,927,375. The highlight of the sale was Newton’s Philosophiae naturalis principia, which achieved £338,500 against a pre-sale estimate of £250,000-350,000.

OVERVIEW

Among the books, scores and manuscripts of the highest rarity and value in this sale are a first edition of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations (few works were published during his lifetime and all are very rare); autograph music by Mozart, Offenbach, Martinu and Webern; manuscripts and watercolours by Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn; a letter by Goya and autograph drafts of librettos by Verdi. Among the rare books in the sale are a first edition of Newton’s Principia Mathematica, Russian editions by Pushkin (Poltava), Magnitskii and Noverre, books by Mitelli, Racine and a collection of important early playing cards.